Match hopeful theatre major with a well-respected school, ideally West Coast/East Coast?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Please match my rising senior? She wants to major in theater. We live in WA state, and because she’s transgender, I won’t consider states that are known to be hostile to trans rights. Ideally she’d be on the West Coast (US or Canada), on the East Coast (we have family in Maryland, so they’d be within reach if needed), or in a progressive area of everything in-between. (Pretty much all the southern states are out; would consider Twin Cities, Ohio, IL, Colorado.) Probably middle-sized (2,000–10,000) is best, but we’d consider any size.

I’d be especially happy to have her attend a school with a decent amount of good reputation/name recognition, though I know a great education can be had in many places, well-known or not. She’s especially interested in BFA acting programs, but will consider BA programs (and I’d rather see her get a BA for a more well-rounded education).

Current “reach” schools being considered are Wesleyan, Reed, Brandeis, American, Cal Poly, some of the UCs.

Demographics

  • WA state resident
  • public HS
  • White
  • Transgender

Intended Major(s): Theater

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.69
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. +0.5 honors, +1 AP): 4.05
  • SAT Scores: 1380 (640 math, 740 English); taking again in Oct.
  • AP test scores: Spanish: 3, English Comp: 4, APUSH: 5

Coursework

  • Honors classes 9–11: Intro Comp. Lit, Algebra 2, World History, World Comp. Lit, Pre-Calc
  • AP classes 10-11: Human Geography, English Lang. Comp., APUSH, Spanish 5
  • AP classes 12 (to come): Statistics, English Lit. Comp., U.S. Gov.
  • Theater classes all 4 years, multiple in senior year (acting, tech, etc.)

Awards
State-level theater award (Thespies) in a duet competition

Extracurriculars

  • Drama club: President senior year, officer/member other years
  • LGBTQ arts club: Vice president senior year
  • Acting:
    • School shows, ensemble/small roles, both fall & spring shows 9-11;
    • Community theater small roles, this summer
    • She also has more impressive professional & community theater acting experience, but all before high school (she wanted to focus on school theater in HS). Not sure how/whether to work that into the application.
  • Asst. teacher (volunteer) in our religious community
  • Created & ran a D&D camp for local kids
  • Writes songs/musicals/theater-related blog in spare time; studies & is knowledgeable about the structure of musicals/drama
  • Voice lessons
  • Cross country freshman year

Cost Constraints / Budget
Definitely an issue, but still calculating, as her grandparents are giving some $ to help. I’m guessing we can swing around $40k? But wondering if it’s worth applying to more expensive schools that might give aid/scholarships. Willing to consider loans, but we also have a younger kid who will be in college in 2028.

Schools
Currently considering reach schools of Wesleyan, Reed, some of the UCs, Cal Poly. More likely (but not slam-dunks): American, Brandeis, George Washington, Univ. of Washington, Willamette, Chapman, UMass Amherst, U British Columbia, Simon Fraser. Safety: Muhlenberg, Western Washington.

**But a lot of these might be out of reach financially if she doesn’t get scholarships. Are scholarships likely? What other schools are we overlooking? Thanks for any thoughts/advice!

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The California UC’s offer little to no financial aid (need or merit) to OOS applicants so you are looking at paying around $67K/year to attend. Cal Poly SLO will come in around $47K/year and again they offer little to no financial aid to OOS students.

You might also want to post in this thread also: Theater/Drama Majors - College Confidential Forums

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Her stats are similar to one of my son’s, I believe Montclair state which has a good theater department would give merit, liberal area and a short train ride into NYC (I think there is a station on campus). I think the NYC schools might be over budget, my next door neighbor got into NYU and Pace (very high stats) and went with Pace (she’s 31 and has been performing in traveling shows). I don’t know if she is eligible for financial aid, but reaches require high stats for merit.

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Thank you, that’s helpful intel (both about UCs and the theater thread).

To add: We’re also looking at Oberlin and Loyola Marymount.

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Definitely check out the Theater/Drama thread. BFA Theater programs are very hard to get into, so you have to have a very wide net. Your list might be academic-admission based instead of theater admission based? And I think merit awards are different for selective theater programs as well, again check that thread. She has a great resume, but you can’t judge acceptance to BFA theater programs by the general school’s acceptance rates and metrics.

My daughter did the BA Theater at LMU (in CA) and it was an excellent experience. She got merit aid, but LMU is not known for being very generous with merit. Elon in NC has a very well known Theater BFA with a lower sticker price…not sure where NC falls with trans rights. Ohio has Otterbein which is another very well regarded theater program, and CCM is another well known one in Ohio.

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There is a very active theatre student from our high school that ended up at Wagner in New York. You might want to check it out.

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Bard?

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Don’t many/most BFA programs require auditions (many of which have already happened)?

As for cost, have you run the Net Price Calculators at schools on the list? Do that to check affordability, and strike the unaffordable ones off the list. The UCs won’t be affordable as OOS students generally pay full price. Here are a few NPCs to get you started:

Wesleyan
Reed

Make sure to apply EA to the schools that offer that. I wouldn’t classify Muhlenberg as a safety, definitely not guaranteed academically, and I doubt they will get to $40K.

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@Brillig you might want to post your query on the theater major section of this site.

I believe auditions for entry into college fall 2023 have not yet happened.

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Theater may be different due to talent requirements but In my opinion your list is mainly reach. American could happen but you need to demonstrate interest and you need to demonstrate need. So run the NPC to see if they say you have need vs what you can swing. We got $15k merit and that’s a 4.6 and 34 who demonstrated a ton of interest.

While a Willamette could work I think you need more easier to get into options like WWU. Check WUE schools. Ohio not friendly btw. The people yes. The laws no.

Check suny purchase. And So Oregon with merit.

The first thing. Run some NPCs. Do u have need ? You saying you do doesn’t mean the schools agree. Try GW. AU. Brandeis. See the results.

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My oldest attended Chapman, music performance several years ago. Great theater and music programs in a small environment. Mine qualified for a decent academic scholarship with a small music merit scholarship stacked on top which made it affordable for us. It is otherwise an expensive school in a high cost of living area.
Mine very much enjoyed the program, very involved faculty and flexibility with the curriculum.

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FYI auditions are often in January of senior year, so it’s definitely not too late. Some BFA programs will have earlier application deadlines, because there are more steps to the application process (such as auditions, pre-screens). There are “Unified auditions” where students can audition for many schools at one place, I think these occur in NYC, Chicago and maybe a West Coast location. But auditions can also happen at each school and maybe these days (we are 5 years past it) can be video auditions.

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Actually those BFA programs really depend on the strength of your audition compared to others who are also doing auditions for the same program. @compmom can comment, but on our experience, your audition will carry a lot more weight in terms of admission and potential performance merit than your high school GPA or SAT scores. So…you need to get those audition requirements and plan to knock those out of the park.

Good luck to you!

Have you considered University of NC School of the Arts in Winston Salem? It’s a conservatory environment with a fabulous theater department as well as other performing arts specialties.

And really…Bard could be just the right place for this student. Another wonderful and nurturing theatre program.

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Check out Ithaca College. Excellent theater program, gay/trans friendly and I’ve heard they give good merit aid.

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Bennington has a highly ranked theater program, and also has the winter field work term. It is a BA but students create their major and there is a lot of freedom and flexibility. Interdisciplinary work is also encouraged.

It seems like a lot of Bennington applicants also apply to Lewis and Clark. Sarah Lawrence? Skidmore? Vassar? All BA schools.

For BFA SUNY Purchase and other SUNY’s are relatively affordable, even for out of state. Cornish? UMichigan, Northwestern, UNT, BU? Drew?

There are a lot of lists online. This one looked fairly legit but there are others
The 10 Best Performing Arts Colleges in the US - collegegazette.com

I think a major decision will be BA versus BFA but some BA programs like Bennington’s will offer some of both. So then the decision may be audition versus non-audition. Some schools also have excellent extracurricular theater ( if she has other academic interests, but it sounds like she really wants a theater major).

I know more about music and dance :slight_smile: I hope you will go over to the theater/drama major forum.

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You need to do a deep dive on theater auditions asap.

It is ultra competitive and has little to do with grades.

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These are some colleges that you may want to look into. They have a higher percentage of drama majors (or related fields) then most other schools…potentially indicating strength in the department.

  • Le Moyne (NY) – this is a Jesuit institution and schools in this Roman Catholic tradition tend to be very open and progressive. Here is the page on the school’s values.
  • Molloy (NY) – this is a Dominican institution and this Roman Catholic order tends to be more open-minded as well. Here is its statement on its values and guiding virtues.
  • Pacific Lutheran (WA)
  • Seattle Pacific (WA)
  • Seattle (WA) – this is another Jesuit institution, though its statement on the Jesuit tradition does not appear as broad-minded as those of the NY Catholic institutions mentioned above. It may just be difference in what the focus was on, but I suspect it would be easier for you to research how transgender students feel on the campus as you’re in the state.
  • Southern Oregon
  • SUNY New Paltz (Purchase is also a good option, but is likely more competitive for admission to the acting program)
  • U. of Hartford
  • Wheaton (MA)
  • Whitman (WA)
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Second the suggestion of Southern Oregon University. Ashland is synonymous with theater, and super progressive. The Theatre Program is entirely focused on undergraduates and offers BS, BA and BFA. Also a WUE plus other merit possibilities.

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Speaking of BA vs BFA, we found this helpful, short quiz: A Quiz to Help You Choose Between a BFA or BA Degree! — OnStage Blog

My daughter chose BA because she wanted time to explore other interests with her classes. It worked out very well for her. She double majored, explored screenwriting and directing, and is now in a great job in the theater industry that uses those skills, not performing.

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As someone said upthread, Montclair State in NJ may be a good choice and affordable. Since it is so close to NYC, some of the professors are the same as at NYU Tisch. Academically, not on the same level as a Wesleyan or Northwester, but decent with a diverse population.

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